Healthy and happy eating experience
Not food make us fat but our eating habits. Instead of avoiding “unhealthy food”, the better strategy is to focus on what nutrients to include in our meal, both plants and meats, as well as “eating food” that fulfil our palette. To avoid eating the same items day in and day out for dietary burnout, adding greater variety is an easier way to adhere to a healthy dietary pattern over time. To appreciate the colorful flavor of the food itself will also help to make a wiser choice in eating. Here in RECIPE, we will share a variety of home cooking dishes that are easy to prepare and full of umami.
How is umami related to healthy eating?
Eating taste is personal. But there’s a flavor lies in food itself would win universal love. “Umami” (うまみ) is a Japanese word, also a flavor other than salty, sweet, bitter and sour discovered by Japanese to describe the natural taste arise from the ingredients. The essence of Japanese food culture originates from the strong attachment to the soil and their respect and gratitude to the nature. Its traditions in eating and serving whole foods close to their natural state and thoughtful matching of different natural flavor come up with lightly seasoned but appealing cuisine.
“washoku”
In Japanese cuisine, umami can be found in kombu(dried kelp), shiitake(dried mushroom), katsuobushi(dried bonito flakes) and niboshi(dried anchovies). It is the taste of the soup stock of ingredients other than seasonings such as salt.
The rule of “five” in “washoku”, Japanese cooking, creates a beautiful meal with various textures and flavors in nutritional balance. Five tastes, sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami, always come along with five colors. By being conscious of using yellow, red, white, green, brown in one dish, eye-appeal stimulate the appetite.
The way of preparing food plays critical role in preserving the flavor of the ingredients. The five cooking methods: grilling, simmering, frying, steaming, and serving raw, create a variety of pleasurable differences in texture and temperature.
Other than Japanese traditions of eating, many other cultures which share the same wisdom can also greatly inspire us to enjoy to its fullest without getting bored with the food and stay healthy throughout the lifespan while living in harmony with the nature. Let’s keep looking for more tasty and nutritious alternatives to get taste buds excited.